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Primary teachings are:
- Love – for all creatures.
- Service – to others.
- Put a ceiling on one’s desires.
- The world is maya (illusion), only God is real.
- Every person is God in form, though most do not experience this as their reality.
- Meditation – Baba teaches two techniques, so ham (Upanishadic mantra for repetition and focus) and jyoti (Light meditation).
- Inclusive acceptance of all religions as paths to realizing the One (God).
- Ahimsa (non-violence), shanthi (peace), dharma (right conduct, living in accord with natural law), and sathya (truth).
Nine-Point Code of Conduct
Center members are expected to do their best to practice the Nine-Point Code of Conduct in order to be examples of Sathya Sai Baba’s teachings:
- Daily meditation and prayer (Jap).
- Group devotional singing (bhajan) or prayer with family members once a week.
- Participation in Sai Spiritual Education (Bal Vikas Programme) by children of the family.
- Participation in community service work and other programs of the organization.
- Regular attendance at the Center’s devotional meetings (Bhajan or Nagar Sankirtan).
- Regular study of Sathya Sai Baba literature.
- The use of soft, loving speech with everyone.
- Not speaking ill of others, especially in their absence.
- Narayana Seva. Practice placing a ceiling on desires – consciously and continuously strive to eliminate the tendency to waste time, money, food and energy – and utilize the savings for service to mankind.
Sathya Sai Baba resides much of the time in his main ashram called Prashanthi Nilayam (Supreme Abode of Peace) at Puttaparthi, Andrah Pradesh, India. In the hot summer the guru leaves for his other ashram called Brindavan in Whitefield (sometimes called Kadugodi), a town on the outskirts of Bangalore.
He is regarded as an excellent orator in his native language Telugu. He claims to be the Kali Yuga purna avatar (full divine incarnation of this era) of Lord Shiva and Shakti. He says that he is omniscient, omnipotent, able to create matter from mere thought. He also stresses he is free from desires. He preaches love and the unity of all religions. Sai Baba claims to be pure divine love.
Baba asserts that he is an avatar of God, and a reincarnation of Lord Rama, of Sri Krishna, and of Shirdi Sai Baba. Many of his followers say that he is the primary avatar of our times. Many claim to have had awake-visions of him as various Gods and Goddesses. He has repeatedly claimed to be the actual reincarnation of Vishnu, Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Shakti and Vishvarupa.
Unity of Faiths
“There is only one religion; the religion of Love
There is only one language; the language of the Heart
There is only caste; the caste of Humanity
There is only one God, He is Omnipresent.”
In a significant discourse delivered by Bhagawan in Nairobi (Kenya, East Africa) on the 4th of July in 1968, Baba said,
“I have come to light the lamp of love in your hearts, to see that it shines day by day with added luster. I have come to tell you of this universal, unitary faith, this spiritual principle, this path of love, this duty of love, this obligation to love.
All religions teach one basic discipline – the removal of the blemish of egoism from the mind, and of running after trivial joys. Every religion teaches man to fill his being with the Glory of God, and evict the pettiness of conceit. It trains him in methods of detachment and discrimination, so that he may aim high and attain liberation. Believe that all hearts are motivated by the one God; that all faiths glorify Him alone; that all names in all languages and all forms man can conceive denote the one Supreme Being; His adoration is best done by means of love.
Cultivate that Eka-bhava (attitude of Oneness), between men of all creeds, all countries and all continents. That is the message of love, I bring. That is the message I wish you to take to heart.”
Religion is of immense help…
“Religion is of immense help in fostering the integral development of the human personality. It underlines the unity in diversity. True religion is the attainment of the purity of mind and heart. Every religion has its own precepts and principles. But no religion preaches hatred, untruth or unrighteousness. ‘Speak the truth’, ‘Practice righteousness’ enjoin the Upanishads (Indian ancient scriptures). Similar sacred injunctions are to be found in all the other religions too. Thus, all religions emphasize the human values and serve as beacons for the uplift of mankind. They all facilitate the manifestation of the divinity inherent in man.
On the Christmas Day in 1986, Baba said, “When God occupies the mind, the objective world or nature, which is only a product of the mind, loses its validity and man, the wave on the ocean, lapses in to his source. The individual self merges in the Absolute. Every religion seeks to present this basic truth about God, Nature and Man. Every creed is, in essence, highlighting this fact and the path of Love as the means of merger. So, one must respect all creeds and faiths. They are beacons of light guiding pilgrims along the many paths to the Universal Absolute.”
Ref: “Sathya Sai Speaks” – Vol. XIX, Chapter-28.
Religion does not preach difference
In the month of December, 1966, in a message, Baba said,
“All religions, all faiths are but phases or facets of the same Universal Faith and Discipline. It is like the story where seven blind men who examined the elephant and described it to others. The man who held the tail in his hand said it was a snake; the man who felt the leg said it was a pillar; the man who examined only the ear swore that the elephant was like a winnowing basket. This story has a deep inner meaning. The Atma (spirit) is one, but, each one sees a fraction of it and judges it differently, while it is the integrated sum of each of these facets that constitute Reality.
Ref: “Sathya Sai Speaks” – Vol. VI, Chapter-44
The Supreme quality of man is love
To the huge gathering in Prasanthi Nilayam in the Poornachandra Auditorium, on 20th Oct 1988, Baba said,
“Embodiments of the Divine! Having come here, there is only one thing which is most vital for all of you to recognise and understand. Forgetting all differences of race, religion, caste and creed, disregarding considerations of class and community, you must feel that all of you are children of one God.
When you recognise this oneness, eschew all differences and fill your hearts with love, you will be able to redeem your lives by constantly chanting the name of the Lord. That name will help you accomplish anything. It will fill your life with peace and happiness. It will enable you to rid yourself of likes and dislikes. The supreme quality of man is love. Develop love so that you may get rid of attachments and aversions. Thereby, you will be sanctifying your lives!”
The Essential Truth is One
Here are a few excerpts from Bhagawan Baba’s discourses emphasizing the essential commonality of teachings of various religions:
All religions have emphasized the same truths in their basic teachings, but very few people try to understand the inner significance of religions. Out of a narrow feeling that one’s own religion is superior and the other faiths are inferior, members of different religions are developing hatred towards members of other faiths and acting like demons. Such narrow attitude should be given up completely. All should develop the awareness that though Names and Forms may differ, the essential truth is one in all religions.
“The truth proclaimed by all religions is one and the same. All have a common ultimate goal. All religions aim at promoting rig hteous conduct by transforming the attitude of man, thereby bringing about harmony. The foundation of all religions is morality. Morality is equated with selfless love. Religions were thus instituted to foster the welfare of society through the promotion of love for all beings. All religions advocate their votaries to seek eternal peace or shanthi within oneself. No religion approves the use of violence. Every religion recommends the cultivation of tolerance and respect for other religions, thus paving the way for ahimsa (non-violence).”
“Should each person live the ideals propounded by the founders of his religion, unaffected by greed or hate, the world will be a happy and peaceful habitation for man. In spiritual terms, all of mankind belongs to one and the same class, race, and religion.”
“The followers of each religion call upon the One God who is omnipresent and who listens to their prayers, be they from any race or whatever language they speak; but it is the same God who confers happiness on all of mankind. No religion has a separate God showering grace only on those who profess to abide by that faith.”
